FTC to Look Into Big Three Auto Alliance

The Federal Trade Commission plans to open an antitrust inquiry into the Big Three automakers' plan to create an online car parts marketplace, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The new company, which doesn't have a name, was announced last week, and will function as an independent company. According to reports, FTC officials have begun asking Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler about the alliance.

The FTC is interested in the structure of the online marketplace and the possibility of illegal price "signaling" or coordination among buyers or sellers, the Journal said.